August 29, 2011

In case you misssed it, here is a first-rate roasting of J-Street by Daniel Gordis when he took up the offer of addressing their summer 'leadership' mission to "Israel & Palestine".

"Good morning and welcome to Jerusalem. It’s a pleasure to meet with this leadership mission; I understand that there are some first-time visitors to Israel among you, so a particular welcome to those of you who’ve never been here before.

Before we got seated, one member of your group conveyed a message from the Israeli consul-general in his home community. The message was that I shouldn’t speak to you. As you can imagine, I received similar advice from a wide array of people after I received your invitation, but I’ve chosen to ignore it.

As most of you know, I disagree strongly with much of what you do. But I think that we have an obligation to meet with people with whom we disagree. Given the extent of the forces aligned against Israel, seeking to delegitimize the very idea of a Jewish state, the pro-Israel camp needs a big tent. Neither Israel nor the Jewish people will survive if we work only with those with whom we agree. A big tent, by definition, means including people with whom we disagree passionately, but who still share our basic goals.

Even a big tent, though, has its limits. There are things that one can say, or do, that place a person or an organization outside that tent. You know very well that there are many people who believe that J Street is outside the tent, not in it. I’m not yet certain. That’s why I’m here.

LET ME begin with a basic assumption: I assume that we want the same thing. We seek two states in this region, one a thriving, Jewish, democratic Israel, and the other a thriving, non-Jewish, democratic Palestine. Of course, there are Israelis on both ends of the political spectrum who do not wish this. Some Israelis no longer believe in the importance of a Jewish state and would prefer a state “of all its citizens” between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. But as that would make Jews a minority in this country and thus end the Zionist project, I’m utterly opposed to that. There are also Israelis who still resist the idea of a Palestinian state and who would prefer to either exile millions of Palestinians or forever keep them under our thumb as non-citizens, either of which would be morally obtuse. But the vast majority of Israelis, if presented with a genuine opportunity to live side by side in a democratic, transparent, peaceful, demilitarized Palestine, would accept it.

So, assuming that’s what you also seek, I assume our disagreement is about how to get there. You believe that people who are not willing to make major territorial concessions to the Palestinians right now are not serious about a two-state solution. You think that those of us who claim that we favor a two-state solution but who are not willing to give up the store at this moment are bluffing. Or we’re liars. Or, at best, we’re well-intentioned but misguided. But bottom line, if we’re not willing now to make the concessions that you think are called for, then we’re not really pursuing peace.

But that is arrogance of the worst sort. Does your distance from the conflict give you some moral clarity that we don’t have? Are you smarter than we are? Are you less racist? Why do you assume with such certainty that you have a monopoly on the wisdom needed to get to the goal we both seek?

IN PREPARING for this session, I did a bit of reading of statements that you’ve issued on a whole array of issues. One, just released, is a perfect example of the certainty and arrogance of which I’m speaking. Reacting to the most recent Fatah-Hamas agreement, this is what J Street had to say: “In fact, many who oppose a two-state deal have, in recent years, done so by arguing that divisions among the Palestinians make peace impossible. Obviously, reconciliation [between Fatah and Hamas] reduces that obstacle – but now skeptics of a twostate agreement have immediately stepped forward to say that a deal is impossible with a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas.”

“Obviously,” you say, reconciliation reduces the obstacle to a peace treaty.

But I would caution you against ever using the word “obviously” when it comes to the Middle East. Nothing here is obvious. If you think that something is obvious, then you simply haven’t thought enough. Why is it obvious that Fatah’s signing a deal with Hamas, which rejects Israel’s very right to exist, reduces obstacles to peace? Isn’t it just as plausible that it makes peace impossible, or that signing a deal and returning large swathes of land to a group still sworn to our destruction would be suicidal? I suppose that reasonable minds could debate this matter, but how is it “obvious” that this is good news for peace? And then you go on to say that “skeptics of a two-state agreement have immediately stepped forward to say that a deal is impossible with a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas.”

There you go again, telling us that if we don’t agree with you, then we’re not serious or honest. If we think that the Fatah-Hamas deal is terrible news for peace, then we’re just “skeptics of a two-state agreement.” In your worldview, there’s no possibility that we’re just a bit more nervous than you are, that we do not want to make a mistake that will turn our own homes into Sderot, that we are frightened of restoring the horror of 2000-2004 to our streets, buses and restaurants.

No, that possibility doesn’t exist, because anyone who doesn’t agree with you is by definition a “skeptic of the two-state agreement.”

I’d suggest that if you want to convince those of us still deciding whether you’re part of the big tent that you are “in,” that you drop this sort of condescension. It’s arrogant and intellectually shallow; it doesn’t serve you well.

And if you want those of us who are still unsure to become convinced that you are part of the big tent, then I have another piece of advice for you – recognize that not everyone can be part of it. There are groups who are clearly opposed to Israel’s existence as a Jewish state; they are our enemies. It doesn’t matter if they are in Israel or outside, or if they are Jewish or not. If they are working to end Israel, or to end it as a Jewish and democratic state, then they are our enemies, plain and simple. There are enemies who cannot be loved or compromised into submission, and you need to recognize that.

The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement is a case in point. No one in their right mind doubts that BDS is opposed to Israel’s continued existence as a Jewish state. So why were they invited to your annual conference? There need to be limits to those you’d welcome into your tent. You need to show us that you care about Israel more than you care about dialogue with Israel’s enemies.

I still remember the first time I was struck by this tendency of yours to assail Israel when you’d been silent about what Israel’s enemies were doing. It was the first day of the Gaza war at the end of 2008. Sderot had been shelled intermittently for eight years, and relentlessly in the days prior to the beginning of the war. It was obvious that this couldn’t go on, for the first obligation of states to their citizens is to protect them.

For years, Israel had been failing the citizens of Sderot. But when Israel finally decided to do what any legitimate state would do, J Street immediately called for a cessation of hostilities. The war was only hours old, nothing had been accomplished and the citizens of Sderot were still no safer than they had been. But J Street had had enough.

Why? Why had you said almost nothing for all the years that Sderot was being shelled, but within hours of the war’s beginning were calling for it to end? What matters more to you – the safety of Israel’s citizens, or advancing your own moral agenda in our region of the world? IF YOU want us to be convinced that you’re in the big tent, show us. Show us that there are times that you will stand up for Israel, not its enemies. Explain why you lobbied Congress against a resolution condemning incitement in Palestinian schools. Explain why, when Israel is marginalized as never before (a recent poll showed that Europeans rank Israel and North Korea as the greatest threats to world peace!), you pressured the US not to veto a UN resolution on settlements, which the mainstream of American Jewry all thought needed to be vetoed.

And ask yourselves this: If you were to take all the money you’re spending in the United States and do your work here in Israel, trying to strengthen the political parties who are more inclined to do what you seek, how much traction would you get? We all know you would get a pretty chilly reception. Ask yourself why that is. Is it that we Israelis really don’t want to end this conflict? We enjoy sending our children off to war? We look forward to the next funeral at Mount Herzl? We’re not aware that time is not on our side?

Or is it that we live here, and that even rank-and-file Israelis know a bit more about the complexity of this conflict than you give us credit for? Why would you assume that we’re stupid, or immoral, or addicted to the conflict? Why do you insist that the Fatah-Hamas agreement is a good thing, or that it’s best for Israel if the US twists its arm even harder? At a time when Israel is so alone, can you see why it’s hard for many of us to buy the argument that you’re genuinely pro-Israel, or that you should be part of the big tent?

It’s time for you to show us. Show us that you seek peace, that you care about the Palestinians, but that even more (yes, more, because that’s what the particularism of peoplehood requires), that you care about us. It’s one thing to put “pro-Israel” in your tag line, and another to be “pro-Israel.” You certainly don’t need to be a rubber stamp for Israeli policy – that’s not what’s at issue. Israel desperately needs critique, and Israelis issue it all the time. So, too, should Diaspora Jews.

No, what’s at issue is for us to see you pressure someone, anytime, to be in Israel’s camp on something. That’s what we want to see. When we see that, more of us will believe that you’re part of our tent, and then, even with all our disagreements, we’ll be convinced that we could work together for a better future for all the peoples of this region."

POSTSCRIPT: In the Q&A session that followed, J Street founder Jeremy Ben-Ami asked the first question. He said that he found it “astounding” that I had given an entire presentation “without mentioning the occupation of another people.”

But interestingly, in the May 12 issue of Globes, Vered Kellner, who traveled with the group and went with them from my session to their meeting with Salam Fayyad, noted that Fayyad didn’t mention the occupation either. “Is it possible that the occupation conversation simply doesn’t interest anyone anymore?” she asked.

“True,” Ben-Ami answered, “neither Gordis nor Fayyad raised the occupation, but we’re here to remind Israelis that you can’t pretend that the occupation isn’t part of reality.”

So here’s my final question: If the way that you’re framing the issues is no longer the way that Israelis and Palestinians are discussing them, is it possible that you are not even addressing the core issues that matter to the people actually in the conflict? Perhaps the time has come to ask yourselves what matters to you more: actually moving the policy needle, or assuaging your own discomfort with the undeniably painful complexities of this conflict. If what you want to do is affect policy, how effective would you say you’ve been thus far?

Daniel Gordis is senior vice president of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. His latest book, Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War that May Never End, won the 2009 National Jewish Book Award. He blogs at http://danielgordis.org

August 28, 2011

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿I took my 7-year-old daughter and two granddaughters to Rachel’s Tomb this afternoon. We went from there to Kiryat Arba, Hebron and Machpela, Cave of the Patriarchs and the tomb of Ruth.

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Rachel’s Tomb is only accessible through a high-walled road corridor into Arab- controlled Bethlehem.

We gave that control to the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords.

In return we got restaurant and bus bombings and daily rocket attacks which continue until today.

How Jews managed to retain even this tentative access to the tomb of the mother of the tribes of Israel is a miracle in itself. (See my Jewish Press article of some years ago HERE.)

Similarly the burial site of Ruth, located in Tel Rumeida, is accessible only through an army base and tin-sheeted corridor laced with barbed wire which zigzags into Arab-controlled Hebron.

That was another accord named Wye. It should have been called Why? (Our attachment to Hebron is the subject of another article of some years back HERE.)

Then there is Joseph's tomb in Shechem; another Oslo casualty where we have to visit in bus convoys in the middle of the night to avoid upsetting the Arab mayor of what they renamed the City of Nablus. (This is a derivative of the Roman name Neapolis - or Naples. Palestine was another Roman name used to erase the true biblical name of Judea.)

Apart from reviving past writings, my point in blogging today’s excursion, is the irony that, in the Diaspora, Jews can freely visit the tombs of their rabbis and Hassidic mentors on visits to Poland, Russia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain … even Turkey and pretty much all over Europe.

But in our very own homeland, we can only visit our most revered sites like criminals, under armed guard at risk of a sniper’s bullet.

How does one explain this to a grandchild?

That we can do what we like in someone else’s house, but in our own home we appear like intruders?

It's hard to believe that Ehud Barak was the most highly decorated soldier in the IDF. It's also hard to believe that he is Israel's defence minister.

A soldier's job is to arm himself, identify enemies and destroy them.

In the flotilla incident, Barak armed our soldiers with paintball guns and now wants to apologise for their acting in self-defence. For Mr Barak, the Islamic leadership in Turkey, with its unremitting incitement against Israel, is no enemy

A defence minister's job is to protect and defend the citizens.

The south of Israel has been under missile attack for over a week. It goes on even as I write these lines.

The defence ministry has been closely monitoring the many thousands of missile deliveries to Lebanon and Gaza. What was the last figure I heard? Maybe fifty thousand rockets split between Hamas and Hezbullah? The prime minister has been using this information for at least 5 years in briefings to Western leaders.

So would someone please explain to me why years later, the IDF is still waiting for its 3rd battery of Iron Dome interceptors to be deployed "in the next 2 months". And that 3 more (just three!) will be deployed in 2012. This information was announced - or leaked - 4 days ago.

Yesterday the business journal Globes reported that Rafael Industries, are "doubling their capacity" of Iron Dome production.

What planet must Ehud Barak be on?

Is he so busy playing foreign minister to do his prime job?

Is he still in paintgun mode?

Israel's two Iron Dome batteries have successfully intercepted 90 percent of incoming rockets. It is a locally produced item - not something that we needed Obama's permission to ship, or was embargoed by the European Union.

So why did Barak not order full scale production 2 years - or even 1 year ago?

Is Israel short of funds to pay a local company and thereby create hundreds more jobs?

Why did Barak wait until 1 million Israelis were sleeping in bomb shelters before ordering more Iron Domes?

And why is Rafael just doubling production?This is war for heaven's sake. Production needs surely to be increased tenfold!

The specter of two Iron Dome batteries being frantically towed from Beersheva to Ashkelon and back with each attack would be Keystone-comical if not for its clear message of Barak's utter betrayal of Israeli citizens.

Barak may once have been Netanyahu's commanding officer, and Bibi may still think that the sun shines out of Barak's backside. But for Israelis facing another night - and possibly a whole shabbat - in the shelters, enough is enough.

Barak must go.

Strategic Affairs minister Gen. Moshe Yaalon, a former IDF Chief of Staff, is well able to step into the breach ... and without apologies to anyone.

August 24, 2011

Apart from being the greatest phenomenon in cable news, and champion of the rights and freedoms endowed by America's founding fathers, he is probably the most vocal and sincere non-Jewish advocate for Israel in the media today.

Sunday's event in Caesaria was a resounding success with powerful speeches by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and US Pastor John Hagee who invoked JFK's Berlin speech to rouse the mainly Christian crowd of thousands to chant: "I am an Israeli".

What a contrast to the British demonstrators who march to chants of "We are all Hizbullah".

At today's closing event on the steps of the Temple Mount, and in the shadow of the Al Aksa mosque, he declared again and again "Lo Irah" ... I shall not fear in defending Israel and denouncing evil. He said the next time some nation decided to round up Jews he would proudly say: "Take me first!".

He is now on his way to South Africa to publicise what Apartheid really was and how absurd it is to ascribe such conduct to Israel..

August 23, 2011

From under the hail of over 100 rockets indiscriminately fired by Gaza terrorists into Israeli towns, comes this story was emailed to me ...

My daughter gave birth on Friday, three weeks earlier than expected. The little baby still does not have a name and she is not even 48 hours old. My wife and I live in the Galil, my daughter with her husband and 2 year old grandchild live near Beersheva.

Last night, Saturday, we were all visiting her when the warning alarm that an incoming Grad Missile from Gaza was targeting the region. The drill is that everybody has to move within not more than 15 seconds from their Maternity room which has windows, to the closest corridor that has fewer windows. (15 seconds do not permit to go any further to an underground shelter)

So my wife and I helped my daughter get off the bed, put on her slippers and begin to push the cart where the newborn baby was sleeping and we walked out of the room… Believe it or not, it was not easy due to the traffic in the corridor, all the mothers, almost like dressed in uniform, were pushing their carts in the same direction. Most of them were alone, because it was shortly after Shabbat and after the Ramadan fast period ended, so they were valiantly doing this on their own, a few hours after a very, if not one of the most significant and meaningful moments in their life. Some of the women were Arab, others were Bedouins, Russian Olim, Ethiopian Olim, other people in the corridor were hospital staff, security, doctors and visitors… Oh yes, some were just veteran Israelis like my daughter, who is a 7th generation Israeli, pushing an eighth generation baby who was not yet given a name…

My reflection while this was all happening was: Here we are in Beersheva where 4000 years ago, Abraham made a wise and generous truce to avoid rivalry and conflict; yes 4000 years ago… and here we are being given 15 seconds to try and avoid danger caused by rivalry and conflict… I am sure that many books can be written by tapping into the minds of all of us gathered in a crowded corridor in the hospital.

Today is another day and I am writing my reflections after experiencing three more “Tzeva Adom” “Color Red” alarms, while holding my grandchild in my arms and he is only two years old, but old enough to ask: Ma zeh? What is this?

P.S. Oh yes, I forgot to share with you one more thing: Last night after the above description, visiting hours ended and we left the hospital with Ziv our grandchild to go home. While we were walking out of the Hospital building, Ziv began to play in the parking lot with a little Bedouin 1.5 years old, when suddenly again the siren went off and again we had 15 seconds to be ushered to the safe area. This time we were all ushered into a corridor of the Delivery Ward of the Hospital. There were no babies in little carts. This time we found ourselves in between dozens of women who were about to give birth, one of them was sitting in a wheel chair experiencing very strong contractions… This time we heard the explosions very close to us, people were just counting 1,2,3… 7. Yes 7 grad missiles were targeted to Beersheva, four of them fell in an open area, two of them were hit by our anti grad missile system “Iron Dome” and one hit a building injuring 7 people and killing one man, Yossi Shushan, (38) who happened to be there to pick up his 9 month pregnant wife… He will not be in the delivery ward where I happened to be, at the very same moment he was killed…

I can only commend the behavior and bravery of every single person (who will most likely not meet again), with whom we shared a few minutes that will remain with us for a lifetime…

August 21, 2011

As I blogged last week, Moshe Naftali z'l who lost his life during the terrorist attack on Thursday, was a graduate of the Keshet Yehuda pre-military yeshiva academy.

Here is an email I have just received from the academy's director, Guy Eshet, with an account of his visit to the shiva house.

Hi Zalmi,

I am now in the home of the fallen soldier Moshe Naftali who was commander of a jeep involved in the counter terrorist attack. 5 minutes ago I heard an astonishing acoount from his father. This account was given to him by one of the soldiers who was involved in the operation together with him. He says that Moshe was the commander in the first jeep that arrived on the scene. He saw the terrorist who has killed the family in the private car going towards the car to check that the wounded were dead. Moshe told his driver to speed towards him and run him over and so they killed that terrorist. When he was killed a explosive belt that he was wearing exploded but the jeep was not hurt. He then saw a sniper shooting at them from not far. He told his soldiers that they would attack him on foot because he also could easily be wearing an explosive belt and miracles might not happen twice. Moshe shot at him and wounded him but unfortuneately did not kill him. He then shot Moshe in the head. Before Moshe was killed he reported all that was going on at the scene and asked for more forces to be sent. Immediately they stopped traffic that was travelling near that point and thus no doubt managed to save lives. Later on the Yamam force came and that was when their commander was killed by a sniper.

I don't understand why this story was not reported and I plan to make it known. It's a Mitzvah to tell it.

Last Thursday's terror killings of 8 Israelis and the firing of 100 rockets into Israeli population centers in the subsequent 3 days was sure to get London's luvvies out on the streets to cheer on the jihad.

Hats off to the intrepid blogger Richard Millett for fearlessly filming these useful idiots outside the Israeli Embassy.

This particular idiot sports a Che Guevara shirt, which suggests that he probably knows as much about Che as he knows about Gaza and Israel.

Perhaps one day this idiot will discover that Che was a committed Stalinist who reveled in the torture and execution of thousands of political prisoners in Cuba.

it's OK to have Iranian dissidents clubbed, imprisoned, gang-raped and stoned to death ...

its OK to starve millions in Darfur ...

... as long as Jews are not involved.

The definition of "chutzpah" just got updated to this anti-Semite in a Che shirt protesting 'British Support for Racism' .

When any of these people set up a relief flotilla for Darfur, or an International Solidarity Movement for oppressed citizens in Syria, Iran or any of the 22 Muslim states, please be sure to let me know. I might miss the story in the British media.

August 19, 2011

This morning they buried a brave young soldier on Mt Herzl. Moshe Naftali, 22 year old Golani trooper, was responding to the Palestinian terror attacks which left 7 of our people dead and many others wounded.

I was touched to read also that Moshe, zichrono livracha, was a graduate of the pre-military yeshiva academy in the Golan - Keshet Yehuda.

I have been proud to be associated with its founder Guy Eshet and to assist his efforts in supporting this wonderful institution which instills Torah-true values in the defence of our people and our Jewish state.

I invite all readers to support Keshet Yehuda so that other graduates like Naftali may rise to the highest ranks to prevail against our enemies and sanctify his memory and his sacrifice for our people.

By failing to call this evil by its real name, the BBC only encourages more death and destruction by beasts who think the world regards them as common criminals. "

Thank goodness for organisations like Honest Reporting which monitors this kind of travesty, as you can see by clicking the picture above.

Another 'lone crusader' for BBC reform is British lawyer Trevor Asserson. He set up the website BBCwatch before moving to Israel. In a recent article for the Jerusalem Post magazine, Trevor reveals that BBC news reaches 90 percent of the British public compared with only 27 percent for its nearest rival Sky News. He continues:

A recent survey showed that 1,500 versions of a single news story could all be traced back to just three sources: Reuters and AP – two anonymous generic purveyors of information – and the BBC. The BBC is the strongest brand in the news business, a brand which, even after much research debunking the myth, is still widely believed to denote accuracy, balance and truth.

Is it a wonder that the UK is the world leader in boycott activity against Israel?

August 09, 2011

It’s 4.45 pm Tuesday, Tisha B’Av, here in London and I’ve just allowed staff to leave early to avoid rioters reportedly massing a mile or so north of my office.

Who would have thought this could ever happen here? This famously peaceful and tolerant society with its unarmed London ‘bobbies’, the oldest of all parliaments and oodles of charm and chivalry.

London 7/7/2005

On 7/7 it was the Islamists.

On 8/8 it was the anarchists.

Both events shook this county to the core.

But are there other connections?

I think there are – certainly in the reaction to both.

We keep hearing this incessant chatter about what brought these people to riot, loot, burn and destroy. There’s social deprivation, broken homes, police intimidation … every pundit has his or her own theory.

It’s a lot like the 7/7 bombers. All that handwringing about how Britain had brought this upon itself by intervening in Iraq etc. etc.

The simple answer is usually the correct one.

These are anarchists who felt they could get away with it – so they did.

The police have been in total disarray.

The government have been away on holiday – and by the weakness of their response, they may as well stay there.

So why did these anarchists believe they could get away with all this … and how can they - even now in broad daylight - be marching down my main road?

Prince Charles' car under riot attack in January

Simply because there is no longer any deterrence.

They don’t fear arrest, because the government has decimated the ranks of the police.

They don’t fear the policeman’s baton, because the police are scared of legal action for injury.

If they happen to get caught, they don’t fear punishment because the government has eroded sentencing guidelines to levels of farce.

The government stopped building new jails, even as immigration soared.

So custodial sentences are largely discouraged.

If they are jailed, they will be out in weeks – or at least moved to ‘open prisons’ akin to holiday camps.

Do they care that a criminal record will ruin their chances of future employment?

Nah! These people live on theft and welfare and probably always will.

Where crime is concerned, it’s all about deterrence.

And if deterrence is watered-down to the level of farce, you have a recipe for disaster.

We have the liberal leftists to thank for all this.

They created this culture of equal ‘entitlement’ and ‘rights’ which transcends any consideration of whether they have been fairly earned.

Why should an avowed terrorist be entitled to the protection of a human rights court?

Why should an illegal immigrant felon be entitled to resist deportation on the grounds that he has a 'human right to a family life' in this country?

This has all been wrought by the liberal leftist academic and ‘enlightened’ classes who regard anyone on the right as ignorant and unwashed. To these leftists, those who talk of ‘crime & punishment’, restoration of the death penalty and more discipline in our schools are stupid barbarians. This is of course how they still speak of George W Bush, even as their darling Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama is into more wars than both Bushes put together.

Britain needs leaders with the guts to reclaim British sovereignty from Europe, write up our own Bill of Rights, double the number of jail cells and police, seal our borders and cut welfare benefits to all hooligans, hoodies and illegal immigrants.

We pay taxes to be protected from these people, not to subsidise their rehabilitation - however hopeless that may be.

August 02, 2011

After all the ridicule heaped on the UN for its Human Rights Council's absurd admission of abusers like Libya, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Algeria and Robert Mugabe's Uganda, you would have thought they would clean up their act.

All day long the talk radio stations have been wittering over William Hague's absurd claims of success in his Libyan adventure, whilst questioning why the same intervention is not justified in Syria where Assad is now killing citizens by the thousands.

As I blogged at the beginning of the assault on Libya, this campaign was started for Anglo-Frenchpolitical self-interest. Britain is now left looking very stupid and its military is more depleted than ever.

This will not be lost on Argentina which is bound to test this weakness with another swipe at Falkland Islands.

If only Hague had shut up, the world might still have thought Britannia was a force to be reckoned with.

But then again, what's the point of having an army to defend your country if the borders are wide open?

The same radio shows have been chattering about possible Turkish entry into the European Union.

What a wonderful prospect ... millions of Turks flooding into Britain for free schooling, healthcare and old-age pensions.

And just imagine the huge reciprocal benefits we in Britain will reap from Turkey's entry!

August 01, 2011

If you've been following the 'tent city' demonstrations in Israel, and have been buying into the hype peddled by the left-wing press, Sarah Honig's excellent piece 'Between Tunisia and Tel Aviv" will be instructive.

Whether these demonstrators are all spoiled brats, draft dodgers and adolescent moonbats remains to be seen. But the main source of their discredit are the truly homeless and dispossessed who had every reason to demonstrate their plight in this way, but chose humility above hubris.

I am speaking of the 8,000 Israelis expelled from Gaza.They were cast into tent cities in which many remain until today.Many of them are still in psychiatric care to cope with the loss of their homes, schools and family life.

After 6 years, did any of these dispossessed people ever shut down traffic and openly fete and regale members of the Arab political parties in order to get media attention?

Most assuredly not.

Instead, they quietly set about rebuilding their lives. And they turned up loyally for service in the army that the Tel Avivian elites so fashionably disdain.

In truth these are the true elites of Israeli society.

And they are well overdue to be the very first in line for any tax breaks and social assistance being contemplated by the Netanyahu government which seems to have been suckered in record time by this media-fuelled street circus.